This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
For automotive applications, fasteners are used to join components such as air bag assemblies to sections or metal body portions of the automobile. The requirements for these fasteners are that they be insertable into apertures of the automobile and meet requirements to both retain the air bag as well as provide a minimum pullout retention force to withstand the force of a deploying air bag. In the event that an air bag has deployed which requires replacement of the air bag and/or the trim piece supporting the air bag, the fasteners also need to be removable. Common fastener designs include directly opposed flexible wings which deflect inwardly upon insertion of the fastener and expand by spring force to hold the fastener within a rectangular slot in the automobile. Other fastener designs provide threaded connectors that must be rotated into position and torqued to a predetermined torque value to validate a correct installation. These designs often require a first fastener component be installed at a first installation station and a fastener that is installed and torqued at a second or later station.
Several drawbacks of commonly used fasteners are the time required to install the fastener, and the potential for improperly torquing the fastener. Further drawbacks of existing designs include maintaining separate part inventories such as screws, malfunction problems between screws and metal, installation labor required, a driver tool over-powering the metal/screw, high tooling costs, and improper fit-up causing loose components.